A Puzzled Past
by TheFastTalker
Summary: After a mission goes awry Murdock finds himself having to deal with some unpleasant memories from his past, while trying to help his team bring their new foe to justice.
1. Off With A Bang!

Hello everyone. I've shown up here again and officially admitting that I am addicted to this writing thing now – the first step is admitting it right? I received a review for my first story "Playing the Part" from Hoodoo (Thanks to you and everyone else who has reviewed my stories so far btw) saying that it was good that I was willing to write about Murdock _before_ Mexico.

Well that really got stuck in my head and I found myself wondering what did happen to Murdock and the clean slate of the movie has opened many paths for my mind to wander down. I will admit I don't think Murdock is insane (sorry to you true believers) I feel he acts out as a defence mechanism for coping or to mask what's really going on in his head. Don't get me wrong the man's got issues, but he's in control – most of the time.

So with that idea I may have built myself a whole little idea for a series of stories ;) Somehow all my stories have/will have consistent ideas from one to the next. I think they stand alone well, but you may understand a joke or an O/C better if you have read my other stories.

I don't own any content, A-Team related or any other known characters that may be referred to during my story. O/C are mine. I welcome positive feed back, so here we go!

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><p>The stars twinkled and mesmerized Murdock. He couldn't help but admire how amazing the sky looked as it reached down to the hills below. The only sounds he could hear were the low static of his headset and the hum of the rotors of the helicopter he had "borrowed" from the local news station.<p>

He doubted that they would even miss it. The only newsworthy thing that he could foresee happening was if the plan that Hannibal had dreamed up went very wrong and Channel 4 actually wanted to use their news chopper to report on the infamous A-Team's getaway. If that happened, it was better for the team that he was the one who had it.

It was real easy to look authentic at the airport during his take off, he just mumbled something about a traffic jam on the interstate and no one even gave it a second thought. The bird was a little over-kill as far as size, but this way he could circle without drawing suspicion.

Now, high in the air, the chopper cut through the sky undetected. Murdock just smiled; planes and choppers were just beautiful to him. He looked at them like one may look at a powerful animal. They were beautiful and majestic beasts, but they could turn wild in an instant, and they possessed a power beyond the comprehension of most. _But he knew._

But, his real reason he loved flying was this right here. The way the beautiful sky just seemed at peace and the low _thump-thump_ of the rotors with their rhythmic pulse put his mind at ease. His life was twisted and messy on solid ground, but somehow, up here, he just fit and it all made sense – this was _his_ home.

But, it was a little too quiet right now. He glanced at his watch. 20:08 hours - time for him to get into position. He listened patiently for his headset to spring to life, expecting Hannibal's pick-up request to come at any moment. As the seconds ticked away into minutes he wondered what the hold up was. He tried to not be unnerved by the plan deviation - it had happened often enough in the past, but this seemed off.

All of a sudden a large blast came from outside a warehouse and sent a horrific fireball screaming into the air. The resulting shockwave tossed the balance of the chopper dangerously. With just a few quick movements the experienced pilot had the chopper righted and back on her mark.

Murdock's mind raced - what the hell could have just happened? Fighting the urge to fly in to investigate the team's status he kept to his orders and circled the chopper, trying to control a flood of bad thoughts.


	2. No Funny Stuff Fool!

I don't own any content, A-Team related or any other known characters that may be referred to during my story. O/C are mine.

Hannibal's plan didn't include any explosives. Whatever had just happened wasn't part of the plan. The plan itself was very simple – recover a kidnapped business owner and get out via airborne extraction with "Howlin' Mad Air", then deliver him to the client for payment. Radio silence was required as they needed to pass through areas undetected.

Murdock knew the area from Hannibal's briefing, and there was a small propane refilling station next to the warehouse - but why had it exploded? As he continued to wonder what was happening on the ground, his headset crackled to life. "Murdock! You there Captain?"

"Roger Dodger." Murdock returned trying to sound un-phased by the pyrotechnic show.

"Change to the plan, son." snapped Hannibal as chaos was erupting around him. He was editing his plan on the fly – this was something else that wasn't new either. "We need you to land in the empty lot to the left of the warehouse, on my signal. Be advised we will most likely be under fire." Hannibal voiced his needs.

"Okie dokie, Colonel! On your signal I'll land." repeated the pilot still in the dark on the happenings on the ground. That was one of the things he hated about radio silence; he had no idea how the guys were doing.

"Now Murdock!" Hannibal's voice crackled through the headset. Murdock thought the Colonel sounded edgy as he lowered the chopper fast but steadily. Murdock could see a trail of gunfire spraying across the field as shadowy figures ran towards him. The pilot suddenly noticed there were only two men running towards them. One he could make out as Hannibal, and the other was unmistakably B.A. with something draped over his shoulder. The Colonel flung the chopper door open and at that instant Murdock realized it wasn't _something, _but_ someone. _

B.A. jumped into the chopper willingly and put Face down on the bench seat. Hannibal was already inside the cabin. He closed the door and ordered "Let's get the hell out of here Captain!" and without a second thought Murdock climbed fast causing B.A. to snap "And no funny stuff fool or I _will_ kill you! No jokes!"

Murdock swallowed hard. B.A. had voluntarily got into the chopper with him at the controls and Hannibal hadn't joined him up front in the co-pilot's seat. He had stayed in the back, which could only mean Face was not in good shape. Murdock turned in his seat to steal a look at the situation in the back of the chopper.

Face was out cold, pale and was bleeding from his forehead, nose and lip. Not a lot, but enough to make a mess. B.A. was making a tourniquet around Face's calf as Hannibal checked the young man's vitals. Murdock snapped his eyes back to the front before B.A. could catch him not watching the sky and go into a melt down.

"Boss, am I going to the original drop point?" the pilot probed cautiously.

"Yes, Murdock. We'll stick to that part of the original plan and switch to the van. We'll take Face to _our_ warehouse and tend to his injuries there." It sounded like he was trying to convince himself of his own plan, which was very un-Hannibal.

"He should be goin' to the hospital Hannibal; he's been shot in the leg and he hit that wall hard." B.A. protested the plan.

"We have no choice Sergeant! Every law enforcement unit in the area is going to be looking for us after that explosion. We need to lie low and sort out our next move." the Colonel bluntly stated managing to keep composed. But B.A. continued to push.

As the two men had words in the back of the chopper Murdock fidgeted at the controls trying to make sense of what the hell was happening. In less then two minutes everything was in pure chaos. Face was lying in the back of the bird, bleeding, Hannibal was snarling at B.A. who was protesting Hannibal's plan. And B.A. was flying with him without a protest.

Murdock was trying his best to stay on task and fly the chopper as everything was going, by his account, seriously wrong. He couldn't take it any longer and he snapped "Would somebody tell me what the hell is goin' on?"

The other men stopped immediately. Hannibal took a deep breath and rubbed his hand through his dirt covered gray hair as he walked towards the cockpit. He had left Murdock in the dark. He regretted not telling the pilot that they were bringing his best friend into the chopper badly injured. Hannibal sat down in the co-pilot's seat facing the Captain.

Hannibal knew Murdock was focused on his flying - he always was – well _almost_ always. He didn't want to distract him further, knowing the younger man's mind raced in the best of situations. Murdock had to be approaching overload.

"We were set up. The whole damn thing was a trap. We entered the warehouse as planned and a group of well-armed guys were waiting for us. It was no kidnapping. Apparently we got played." Hannibal paused in his story to rub his aching neck and group his thoughts before continuing.

"They were working with our 'client' and planned to apprehend us when we arrived to recover the package. But, they were suits with guns, and things got out of hand fast. They started fighting amongst themselves and we slipped out the window knowing it was about to get ugly. When they realized we were gone they all started shooting at us; Face got clipped in the leg, a deep flesh-wound, but nothing too serious."

"But then they hit something on the tank. Why I don't know - we were pretty far from it by then. The shockwave from that explosion was intense." Hannibal recounted. Murdock found himself nodding in agreement.

"Yeah... I know Boss, it gave the bird a pretty good shake." he mumbled giving the tired Colonel a look of understanding. Hannibal pulled out a cigar and proceeded to light it. He took a long drag and closing his eyes he let a calm fall over him.

"The force pushed us down hard, son, and Face..." Hannibal searched for a better word but pain and fatigue weighed heavily on him "…face-planted into a wall...hard. Well, B.A. scooped him up and you know the rest." He finished, turning away from Murdock to look out the front window. Hannibal eased back into the chair and wished he would get a chance to sit here just a little longer but he could already feel Murdock lowering the chopper at the planned site.

After a soft, uneventful landing Murdock killed the engine, and turning to B.A. he said "See big guy, that wasn't that bad. Just like I promised." He tried his best to sound light-hearted even though the usual manic grin was missing.

"You didn't promise you crazy fool! I threatened you and you wised up. Maybe you ain't quite as crazy as I thought you were." B.A. shot back.

Murdock climbed out of the cockpit, throwing the headset down on the seat. He walked back and knelt next to the still unconscious conman. "Hey Facey. You should see the tall pretty blonde on your six. Oh boy she's a real looker!"

"What are you jabberin' about fool? He can't hear you!"

Murdock looked up at the Sergeant with a very dark look that sent a chill up B.A.'s spine. "Man, he's out cold. He ain't going to hear ya."

"I know. But you can't blame a guy for tryin'. Making sure he's not fakin', that's all." Murdock stood back up and made room for B.A. to pick up Face. He made a slight groan and all three men froze waiting if any words would follow but there was nothing except an awkward silence.

After what seemed like hours Hannibal spoke up "B.A. put him in the back of the van with Murdock. There's a blanket back there." The Colonel turned to see Murdock chewing on his thumb trying to stay calm but Hannibal could see through the pilot's defense.

Hannibal stepped out of the chopper towards the van. After a few steps he turned back to see the normally bounding Captain taking a very heavy step out of the chopper and then follow behind the others. As Murdock passed by him, the older man put a hand on the pilot's shoulder.

"Face is tough; he's strong and as stubborn as a mule. He's going to be fine." And with that he tossed the end of his cigar to the ground and crushed out the last of the glowing embers with his boot. The Colonel looked up, meeting eyes with the shaken Captain. "We'll get him back on his feet and then we are going to get even with the sons of bitches that set us up." Hannibal grumbled.

"I dunno Boss-Man..." Murdock spoke up, "maybe we should start workin' for nuns or somethin'. They seem a little less vengeful and tend not to pack as much fire power." Hannibal couldn't help but crack a grin and with a laugh he slapped the kid on the back.

"You suggest that to Peck when he wakes up. I'll bet he's got 101 reasons he fears a nun more then any gun." He laughed, remembering some stories that Face had told the guys about growing up in a Catholic orphanage.


	3. Keeping Watch

Thank you for the reviews!

I don't own any content, A-Team related or any other known characters that may be referred to during my story. O/C are mine.

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><p>It was nearing midnight as the guys drove quietly back to their hideout in B.A.'s rebuilt van. It was painted just like the one Murdock had pancaked in Mexico but B.A. seemed to love this one even more. He was always polishing it and tweaking it. Murdock wondered why Hannibal would let B.A. drive them around in such a high profile vehicle when the army was looking for them. It didn't seem very smart but one had to admit, she had character.<p>

Murdock now sat with Face in the back trying to keep him steady as they bounced over some pretty rough roads. The captain was eerily quiet until he started to softly sing along with the song on the radio.

B.A. snapped "Oh, don't start singin'!"

Baracus turned to the man next to him for back-up but the harrowed look in Hannibal's eyes told B.A. he had gone too far. B.A. looked into his rear view mirror to see nothing but Murdock's green eyes filled with pain. The pilot looked confused and lost, trying to figure what he had done to deserve such an outburst. B.A. realized he had been wrong to cut Murdock off. The big man swallowed hard and let out a deep breath, "If it helps go ahead, Man. I guess I don't mind."

Murdock looked back down at the Lieutenant who lay motionless in his lap. Shaking his head, he mumbled the barely audible reply "Naw. I really don't feel much like singin' anyways."

After about an hour they pulled into their current residence. It was an old shipping warehouse. All the men agreed that Face had outdone himself this time. From the outside the warehouse looked like a very legit and functional business. On the ground floor, there was even a forklift and a bunch of crates that added to the illusion.

The 'Equipment Maintenance Room' was a large room with a garage door. Face could park his silver Corvette and there was still room for B.A. to hide the van, and perform routine maintenance or work on vehicles as needed. Upstairs there was one fake 'Office' in case someone needed to meet with Management of the warehouse (Face was always prepared to play that role). The rest of the loft was living quarters and workspace for the team.

Each man had his own space and shared the common areas that included a workout room with tanning bed, an entertainment area equipped with a large LCD TV, and a fully-equipped kitchen - which was unofficially Murdock's domain. When the tales of Peck's four-cell prison 'luxury suite' had surfaced to the team, it wasn't much of a surprise that he could pull off a space like this.

After securing the garage door, B.A. left the driver's seat and came around to the sliding door. Murdock helped him slide the injured man across the seat. Once they had Face outside of the van B.A. carefully moved him over his shoulder into a fireman's carry. They crossed the warehouse floor and climbed the long flight of stairs to the second story. It seemed to take a much longer time than usual to reach the loft. Hannibal turned on the lights leading down the hall towards the team's personal quarters.

"Look after the Lieutenant, and get a dressing on that leg B.A." With a nod B.A. took Face to his room to clean the bullet wound. Hannibal turned back towards the living room, suddenly unaware of where his captain had gone. The only sign of him was the brown bomber jacket and red airborne cap tossed on the back of the couch. Then the sound of a switch and light flooding from the kitchen gave away his position.

"Ummm... you want anything to drink, Colonel?" came a quiet voice from near the refrigerator. "I'll take you up on a beer Captain." Hannibal answered back.

Murdock scooped up four beer under his arm out of habit and then paused, remembering he only needed three this evening. He hurried to put one back on the shelf hoping that the Boss-Man hadn't noticed. Rounding the island he picked up a canister up in his other hand and proceeded to give Hannibal his beer.

Hannibal took the offering and found he was staring at the flour canister under the younger man's arm. Then looking up at Murdock, Hannibal cocked his head a little to the right and whispered "Do you need help with something?" Murdock was trying to balance his and B.A.'s beer under his arm without dropping them, while opening the flour canister.

Hannibal couldn't help but wonder about the young man's actions, but he could tell Murdock was out of sorts. After winning out over the canister Murdock plunged his hand into the container and pulled out a handful, and stuffed it into his mouth. Hannibal eyed the canister carefully.

"M&M's?" Murdock offered, shaking the jar. The wary Colonel just smirked and reached in, pulling out a rainbow assortment of candy. Shaking his head amused, he couldn't help but ask "Where do you keep the flour?" Without missing a beat as he walked down the hall towards Face's room Murdock replied, "In the cookie jar, o'course."

Hannibal just stood there with a beer in one hand and the candy coated chocolate in the other. "But he's one hell of a pilot." he said to himself as he followed along to join the others.

Murdock pushed the door to Face's room open. As he walked towards Baracus he popped the cap from one of the beers he was supporting under his arm and set it down softly on the night side table closest to the big man.

B.A. looked up expecting Hannibal to be the one to have quietly slipped through the door. He was surprised when saw the usually wild aviator was the one who had delivered his beer so silently.

"Thanks." B.A. said taking a sip.

Murdock flopped into the brown leather armchair that sat next to the bed with his beer in one hand and his flour canister in his lap. He regularly took handfuls from it.

B.A. stole a glance. Murdock seemed strangely quiet, too quiet. His poise was much like the night he was shot in the Kevlar helmet, but his eyes were different tonight – like he was somewhere else. Murdock subdued like this just wasn't normal and it unnerved B.A. to see him like this.

The door was once again pushed open and this time Hannibal entered the room. Surveying his team he asked B.A. how Face was doing. After receiving the informal report that his vitals were strong, wounds were clean and wrapped he sat gently at the foot of the bed. Hannibal was relieved that his color was looking much better then it had when they loaded the kid into the chopper. That pallor wasn't good on anyone, especially someone who was as tan as the Lieutenant.

"Someone should stay with him tonight in case there's trouble." B.A. spoke quietly but before the Colonel could reply Murdock interjected "I'll do it - I got the first watch - I probably won't sleep anyways and 'sides, you two were thrown around too. You both had hard landings - only difference was both y'all could walk away."

The pilot's words moved fast and the sudden pick up in his outward demeanor came as a bit of jolt to both men. Murdock bit his lip, adding in a bitter tone, "I was just hangin' around watching the fireworks while you guys were getting shot at."

Hannibal tried to subtly give B.A. a non-verbal cue to keep his comments to himself, but B.A. looked shocked and at a lost for words - a rare occurrence.

"Go ahead to bed, Sergeant. Murdock will take the first watch." and with that B.A. turned and headed down the hall to his own room.

Hannibal moved to the side of the bed with his back towards the sleeping man and looking searchingly at the man in the armchair who was staring off again. "Do you want to talk about it?" Hannibal probed. Murdock just blinked at him like he had just realized the colonel was still in the room.

"There must have been somethin' I could have done to help. If the bird hadda had a gun maybe I coulda gave you guys some cover." Murdock blurted.

Hannibal closed his eyes as he felt a shiver down his spine, took a deep breath, and opened his eyes to see Murdock's guilt ridden expression as he contemplated his earlier actions.

"If you had been there, you would have been right over that tank when it blew. Instead of sitting here right now we would be sifting through the wreckage trying to decide what charbroiled scraps of you to give a proper burial." The colonel put his hand on Murdock's knee and continued, "Because you wouldn't have had a chance that close to the explosion in a chopper."

Murdock hadn't thought about that. He was just angry with himself for not doing more to help the guys. Thinking about that scenario made the pilot stop arguing with his self about what he should have done.

Hannibal continued to speak in a soft voice, "You did exactly what I told you to and you handled everything as we needed. Even while everything went to shit around us and your best friend lay bleeding in the back of the chopper. I am proud of you, Captain."

Murdock looked up and made eye contact with Hannibal. "C'mon Colonel, I got the first watch. I'll make sure he doesn't sneak out to scoutin' for girls or joy ridin' in his Vette." Murdock flatly joked.

"I don't think you have to worry much about that tonight, kid." pausing with a smile, "Come and get me if you need help or sleep." Hannibal gave Murdock a pat on the shoulder that was returned with a nod from the younger man. The Colonel left, pulling the door closed behind him.

Once out in the hall Hannibal walked quietly towards his room lost in his own thoughts of the evening when a deep voice caused him to jump. The flinch went unnoticed in the dark. B.A. had been standing in the doorway of his room waiting to speak with the older man.

"I don't know who worries me more right now Hannibal, Face or that crazy fool." B.A. spoke quietly so their conversation wouldn't be overheard. "Hannibal, the way he looked at me in the van - that was intense man." Rubbing his hand roughly over his mohawk he added "I dunno if I've ever seen him like that. I mean - I've seen him after night terrors, and the stuff at the pier last year, and all that other _normal_ Murdock stuff - but that was weird. His eyes were so... cold."

B.A. was having trouble shaking how Murdock had psyched him out. "The fool's eyes are normally dancing for joy even when death is flyin' right at us but tonight, I dunno. He was off somewhere else and hell! I was even flyin' with him." He stopped suddenly like he had just realized the full scope of what his fear for his friend's well being had made him do.

Hannibal spoke even more quietly, "When a mission calls for radio silence he's sitting there blind to what's happening. That must be incredibly hard." pausing to think it through, he continued, "When that tank blew Murdock had no way to know if any of us were still alive. All he could do was circle and hope one of us called out to him on the radio. I'd find that next to impossible if I thought anything had happened to any of you boys." A wave of uneasiness passed over him as he thought of reversing roles with his pilot.

"And to top that off, Face is his best friend and he'd take anything that hurt him bad, especially if he thought for even a moment he could have done more - which is exactly what I think is going on."

B.A. chewed the thought over and shook his head "Ya think he's okay with no one to talk to in there tonight?" He jerked his head toward Face's door. "Ya know he's not good left on his own… at the best of times."

Hannibal shrugged. "He'll be fine, and I'm hoping he's not alone for too long, but only time will tell. Good night, Sergeant." the Colonel added as he retreated to his room, leaving the other man to do the same.


	4. Rise and Shine

I don't own any content, A-Team related or any other known characters that may be referred to during my story. O/C are mine.

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><p>This was the type of silence that Murdock hated. The hauntingly empty silence of waiting for something to happen was almost too much for him as he sat hoping for Face to wake up. He shook his head hard. The alternative was too much to even consider. He stood up, setting the flour canister and his beer bottle on the floor, trying not to make any noise to disturb anyone. He had an idea to make a loud noise to see if Face reacted to it but decided that wouldn't be fair to the other guys who were asleep just down the hall.<p>

He wandered over to see the items on the bookshelf, looking for something to distract him from the numbing silence and the thoughts that kept creping into his mind. There was a pretty expansive Playboy collection but he had never really found himself into that stuff. He moved towards the dresser and found a CD rack hanging just below a poster of a barely clothed woman. He looked at the titles of the CDs - The Eagles, The Steve Miller Band, and of course, Steely Dan. He decided that despite the good assortment he wasn't much in the mood for music.

He continued scanning along the dresser and he smiled when he saw the Rubik's cube that he gave to Face years ago. Seemed like a different life now but the Lieutenant had carried it around in his rucksack and always played with it on flights. He was determined to prove he could do it, but despite the hints Murdock dropped to him, he never had.

Murdock picked it up; glancing back to Face who's eyes were still closed and starting to darken - no doubt due to the knock to his head. Murdock pondered for a moment if he should leave it for him to try again but before he put much thought to it, he was sliding the last row into place. He set it back down in its place on the dresser, wondering if Face would be surprised or annoyed that he had solved the cube that Peck had been dragging around for over 10 years now. Murdock returned to the chair next to the bed and slumped down, rescuing the beer from the floor next to him just to drink the last warm sip.

The time slipped away and Murdock had no idea how long he had sat there. He was thinking over things that drifted in and out of his mind when out of the silence a very gruff, gravely voice spoke out. "Did anyone get the number on that bus?"

Murdock snapped forward in his seat not sure if he could believe his ears but when he saw Face's blue eyes fighting to open he felt relief that he wasn't imagining things.

Face was now sporting a pair of black eyes, finally forced his eyes open. He scanned around the room stopping at the occupied chair next to his bed. Face just looked at Murdock not sure what to say. Thoughts spun through his head and blurred together with a throbbing pain.

"Hey Facey, how ya feeling? You really gave us a scare, man."

"My head hurts and my face is pounding. What the hell happened?" Face groaned as his voice started to return to normal. The pilot thought for a moment how to explain what had happened. Murdock rubbed his neck, and ran a hand through his already crazy hair. He started to recount the events as best as he could from what the Colonel had told him. He told Peck how he'd been shot in the leg, took a bad fall, and that he now had two really impressive shiners underway.

Face sighed, thinking about what his friend had just told him trying to see if he remembered any of it. The last thing Face recalled was leaving the van at the field but the rest of it was a blur to him.

Murdock could tell Face was feeling a lot of pain. "Do you want some Aspirin?" the captain offered. Peck nodded his head to answer. He instantly regretted it, because of the way it made the room spin. As a flash of nausea began to overtake him – he knew it had been a mistake.

Murdock hurried across the hall to the bathroom to grab a glass of water, and the promised Aspirin. He had noticed the way Face had paled as he moved his head, so Murdock grabbed a bucket from under the sink too.

As he entered the room he had just enough time to set the water down, toss the bottle of Aspirin on the bed and pulled Face up to the bucket before the injured man unceremoniously rejected the contents of his stomach. Murdock rubbed his friend's shoulder until he was finished, made sure that Face got his Aspirin and laid him back on the pillows and headed back across the hall to clean the bucket.

He came back and seeing that Face was asleep again, set the bucket on the floor, and flopped down in the chair. Murdock had a feeling it was going to be a long night, but nothing he couldn't handle – for the sake of his friends.

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><p>Hannibal stood up from his bed, thankful for the few hours of sleep he had managed to get. He stretched, stopping short when he felt the pull in his back. He walked down to Peck's room and pushed the door quietly open. Hannibal was quickly signaled by Face to stay quiet as he pointed towards the armchair.<p>

Murdock sat legs over the arms but otherwise curled up and asleep in the chair. Hannibal picked up the spare blanket from the foot of Face's bed and tucked it around the pilot and then returned his attention to the injured man. "How are you feeling, son?"

A smile crept through the mess of bruising and cuts that covered Peck's face. "Much better, now that the room has stopped spinning a bit. I've learned that moving my head any faster then a slow crawl is a very bad idea." Taking a slow breath he added, "Let him sleep boss. I hurled all night and he was right there each time I needed him. He just crashed about forty minutes ago and he was looking pretty wiped by then."

Hannibal was in agreement that the Captain had earned his sleep for sure. Quietly the colonel asked Face if he recalled the events that had put him out the night before. The younger man explained that details were fuzzy and told the Hannibal that Murdock had explained what had put him out of commission.

Face sat still for a moment and then looked at his friend passed out in the chair and back at his C.O. "Is he okay, Hannibal? He seemed off last night. I thought it was just me since my head was pounding and the whole spinning-room thing, but the more we talked he seemed not his normal... abnormal self. You know what I mean? Is it just me that thinks that?" Face paused to breathe, "And his eyes were just..."

"Off." Hannibal finished the sentence for the lieutenant. "He's feeling like he should have been able to help more somehow. Up in the chopper his hands were tied. He did do some damn levelheaded flying with a whole lot of shit going on. I think it's just a good old-fashioned guilt complex."

Face cut the colonel off, "What the hell for? He didn't do anything wrong!" Hannibal nodded in agreement and continued his previous thought "But I'm willing to bet it will get better once you're back on your feet." Pausing to find the right words he picked back up "You gave everyone a damn good scare Lieutenant. B.A. even got in the chopper with Murdock under his own power, un-sedated and unforced, knowing we needed to get you out of there."

Face blinked, surprised. Before he could say anything B.A. pushed open the door. He had heard voices from the hall and found much relief in seeing that he had in fact heard Face's voice.

With a smile the big man greeted his wounded friend and checked on his current condition. Being happy with what he heard, Baracus added, "I thought I'd make some bacon'n'eggs, and toast. Ya want some? I know the crazy man usually does the cookin', but that fool is better off sleepin' right now if he's been up all night."

Face spoke up first "I'm in for toast and scrambled eggs but I'll pass on the bacon and nothing harder then water to drink, please." B.A. was happy that he had a taker and with a smile he gave an approving "Right on, man."

Before he could leave the room Hannibal spoke to B.A. "Sergeant, check that what's meant to be in any of the containers is actually what you want before using it." he said gesturing at the flour canister on the floor. It had been tipped over on its side and had a few M&M's laying around it. B.A. nodded and mumbled, "Crazy ass fool..." as he pulled the door shut behind him.

"I think I'd better go help him. That's 'Murdock's kitchen' and I shouldn't let another man go into hostel territory alone." Hannibal said with a grin as he followed B.A. out of Face's room.

Alone again with his thoughts Face's eyes wondered the room thinking about how much he ached everywhere. The almost rhythmic pounding in his head was making his eyes feel like they were going to pop, despite the Aspirin he had already taken. It was then that he noticed something on his dresser had been moved. With a grin he sighed, "Man, you solved my Rubik's cube." He just laughed, being very careful to not shake his head.


	5. A Couple of Quick Turns

Thanks for the reviews and the requests for speedy updates. I don't own any content, A-Team related or any other known characters that may be referred to during my story. O/C are mine.

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><p>It wasn't long until a knock came to Face's bedroom door. That was enough to wake the sleeping captain, who sat up in the chair, blinking wildly and rubbing his burning eyes. B.A. pushed his way in and offered Murdock a big plate of bacon and eggs with some toast. "Here man. As far as I know all you ate last night was a jar of M&amp;M's. Ya must be starvin'. Ya earned this." And as if on cue Murdock's stomach gurgled loudly.<p>

Murdock smiled gratefully at the big man with a little of his accustomed manic gleam showing in his eyes. After thanking B.A., he tossed a piece of bacon into his mouth. Murdock looked over to see Face sitting up in bed picking away at his eggs. A feeling of relief ran through Murdock because Face looked much better then he had throughout the night, and his food seemed to be agreeing with him.

Hannibal had just joined them; he and B.A. both found spots to sit at the foot of Face's bed and began eating their breakfast. Meanwhile Murdock had repositioned himself cross-legged in the chair facing the bed and was balancing his plate with one hand as he ate with the other. He continued to munch away on his food as he noticed there wasn't any talking going on. After sitting by himself for most of the night, he decided it was time to break the silence.

"Faceman, we need to get ya some books or somethin', 'cause man! Your room is boring! Some nice wall art - and an area rug to help define the space..." Murdock jabbed just looking to get a rise from the con-man.

"What do you mean by that? There's a wonderful assortment of reading material." Face ribbed back (referring to his Playboy collection) with his usual sense of camaraderie with the pilot. Then pointing to the poster on the wall above his dresser Face continued, "That amazing woman is Miss November 2008, whom I have met and she took the time to sign it for me. There are lots of CD's to play on that 5 disc changer." he pointed out with his mouth full of toast. "You, however, with all of that, had to go and solve _my_ cube that I've been working on!" he jested doing his best impression of disappointment. But the laughter in his eyes gave him away.

Murdock almost inhaled his eggs trying not to laugh. "Man, I gave you that thing ten years ago and you've never finished it." he grinned.

"I had the green side done!" Face defended.

"That's the problem, I told you that! Ya can't go at it from any one side. Ya got to keep them all guessing and at the last minute you bring them together to solve it. It's a pattern, once you get it you can solve 'em real fast." Murdock stated.

B.A. picked up the cube, and he couldn't resist getting involved "Man, you just pulled off the stickers and put them back on!"

Murdock looked a little put out that B.A. was accusing him of cheating and he replied "Fine. I'll mess it back up for ya. Give it here." As Murdock reached for the puzzle B.A. twisted it wildly for a minute before tossing it to the pilot and taunted, "There ya go, fool! Prove it!"

Murdock shook his head at the Big Man, not because of the dare but because he had nearly had to drop his breakfast to catch the plastic cube that came quickly at his face. Putting down his plate to free both hands for the cube he started to quickly turn the pieces flipping it constantly from hand to hand until moments later when he threw the perfectly completed puzzle back at B.A.

B.A. rotated the cube in awe slowly examining the puzzle as Murdock returned to his toast. Face's jaw dropped and Hannibal just shook his head as a grin spread over his face. The young captain had once again surprised them all.

"How the hell did you do that, man?" B.A. asked in disbelief. Murdock shrugged. "I had the time and I just played with it until one day I just figured it out."

"When?" Face asked in wonder "I've had it for over a decade now."

Murdock took a bite of toast and swallowed. "At the V.A. in Mexico – I had lots of time to think there. No one's around to visit you, not that anybody would have. So, ya think."

He stabbed hard into some remaining eggs on his plate, speaking in a quieter voice then before, "A doctor gave it to me to... 'focus' my attention. But damn, did it surprise him when I did it. He reacted kinda like you guys. But he was all high and mighty about it. He demanded I tell him how I had done it like I was some dimwit." He was focused on the food on his plate and was no longer eating much; he was just playing with it.

Murdock's demeanor started to change. His eyes became dark, much like they were in the van the night before. The tone of his voice became a little more aggressive then normal as he carried on with his recount, "It was that day. That day you guys showed up at the hospital… in Mexico. He'd given me a shock treatment and then we were having a _session_ in his office when he accused me of lying about how I solved it. Pissed me off! I have 'Post Traumatic Stress' not 'Antisocial Personality Disorder'…what a quack! What did he know? So when he stepped out of his office to consult on a case, I'd made up my mind to leave. I grabbed his glasses off the desk, put on his lab coat from the coat rack and shoved the damn cube into the pocket. I was out of there... then Face stopped me 'cause he thought I was a doctor. I couldn't resist a little fun…I think it was the anti depressants. They cause restlessness, ya know."

B.A. looked at Murdock hard, tilting his head to the side. Murdock had never really talked about the V.A. other then in passing. Baracus had had no idea that they shocked the fool. The thought of his friend being tied down and zapped angered him. He finally asked the question in his head, "What did you tell him... I mean when he asked how you solved the puzzle?"

Murdock now seemed to regret that he had started into this story and he began tapping his thumb on the edge of his plate. "I told him I had just sat in my room and figured it out, but he didn't believe me." Then in a very agitated tone he proclaimed "I may be crazy, deranged, a wacky screwball, a cuckoo with bats in my belfry, and even a nut job. But the one thing I am not is a liar." With that Murdock stood up and left the room leaving the rest of his team wondering what had just happened.


	6. Becoming

I don't own any content, A-Team related or any other known characters that may be referred to during my story. O/C are mine.

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><p>Murdock had just put his plate down in the sink when he heard the chair next to the island move. Whipping around his stormy green eyes met with the steely blue eyes of the colonel. In a calm soft voice Hanibal asked, "So I'll ask again. Do you want to talk about it?"<p>

"What?" Murdock replied with an edgy tone.

The colonel knew last night that there was more bothering Murdock then just Face having been hurt. He now suspected he knew what that was, from the outburst back in the bedroom.

"Come on now, Captain. You're right, you're not a liar but don't try to bullshit me. I've seen your file. I know why you ended up at that goddamn hospital. I am your C.O., but I am asking, as your friend. Do you want to talk about it?" Hannibal leaned, in resting his crossed arms on the island's edge.

Murdock chewed on his lip as the storm in his eyes suddenly turned to fire. His hands shot backwards to the counter edge. As his fingers wrapped tightly on the counter his knuckles turned white. His balance became shaky and it looked as if he would fall if he let go of his perch. His breathing was shallow and unsteady but he kept his eyes locked on the Colonel's. Hannibal knew Murdock was experiencing a flashback and not a pleasant one either.

"James, it's okay. You can tell me. I am not going to judge you or belittle you like those smug bastard Army doctors did - you know that." Hannibal pleaded, trying to get through to the man who was still holding the edge of the counter for dear life.

The colour had drained from Murdock's face and his arms were starting to shake. And at that moment the fire in his eyes broke free and a voice of pure hatred broke exploded "Those assholes tell ya how the hell you should feel but they've never sat there in your place! They ain't ever been shot at or nothin'! Let alone in a chopper with their windows shattering all around them or had to dodge missiles to stay alive! No sir! They sit there in their happy little offices with fake plants and shelves of books. You're actually supposed to believe they took the time to read 'em. Damn books are just there so they look smart because the freakin' doctors are obviously smarter then you are! Just because you don't have a damn doctorate - you're a dumb ass! Then they sit there and ask stupid damn questions like 'How did that make you feel?' or 'What do you think about that?' and then criticize your answers!" he screamed.

"I'd like to know how those little bastards would react to their team - their _friends_ being blown to shit by fireballs and missiles while they were shot down out of the sky, huh? Or how it felt when their chopper slammed into the ground - how would they like wakin' up in a field somewhere not knowing who or what was out there. Just waitin' for trouble to come? Alone, and cold, trying to find their way out! Cocky assholes! I hate 'em! I hate 'em all!" he shouted with his voice straining as tears filled his eyes.

He shook hard as memories ran through his mind of friends, friends that he had lost. Losing his friends had nearly destroyed him and he fought to stop the spilling memories, thinking of how bad last night could have been.

As the hot rage pumped through him he struggled to control it before it won out over him again. Then without warning he slammed his fists down into the counter top. "They were my friends! Am I just supposed to get over it? It doesn't work like that! They're gone and I am still here! I was in charge; it was my job to get them back! And then damn doctor 'taunts' me about it! It's bullshit!" Murdock fell to the floor and began to sob and choke as he tried to breath through the uncontrollable convolutions that were racking his body.

By the time the colonel made it around the island the broken man had pulled his knees up to his chest and was rocking side to side, fighting for air. Hannibal was not sure how to help. He knelt next to him and just held him in his arms until the sobs finally subsided and Murdock started trying to dry his face with his hands.

Hannibal got up and handed him the roll of paper towel off the counter to aid with his attempt to get cleaned up. Still curled up on the floor Murdock sighed, still gasping through his words. "So... when they told me... I was... clinically insane I just... kinda figured... if ya can't beat 'em, ya might as well join 'em. _Not like had anywhere else to go._" He shook his head.

He looked up at Hannibal with a look of pure bewilderment on his face. "I'm not right, up here..." he admitted tapping his right temple twice with his index finger, "but I'm not stupid."

Hannibal extended his hand down to Murdock who hesitantly reached out and took a firm hold of it. Hannibal helped him to his feet and once the younger man was standing and steady Hannibal gave him a fatherly pat on the back and said "I know that kid. And no one here thinks that, either. You know that, right?" Murdock still shaking a little replied quietly "Ya. I know."

Hannibal smiled "Good! Now, c'mon Captain we're going to have a day of R&R. You're going to get some sleep later - even if I have to drug you with B.A.'s flight sedatives. For the moment we'll visit with Face." Pausing and turning to look Murdock square in the eye, he said "Once Peck's up to it we have ourselves a little date with some revenge. I'm personally going to enjoy this." With that they returned to Face's bedroom.

The two men re-entered the room and reclaimed their previous seats. Face scanned Murdock thinking he looked more exhausted then when they left. "Everything all right, buddy?" Face cautiously examined, looking for an explanation for the screaming they had heard.

"Yes Face, everything is..." but before Hannibal could finish Murdock's shaken but sharp voice cut in, "No Faceman. Everything's not all right and I need to be square with you and Bosco." trying to steady his self to prevent a repeat of his meltdown in the kitchen. His hands twitched nervously as he held them together in an attempt to still them.

"When I was in flight school there were these three guys that I got to know. We all became pretty good friends. We all got stationed at Fort Stewart together. I eventually got to be highest ranked in the group but that never really seemed to matter much because we all knew the job and we just did it. We were running missions and training Ops. I was best man for one of the guys when he got married. We all used to go drinkin' together after our runs, and there were a lot of practical jokes. Good friends - they were fun to hang out with. Ya know?" He let a bit of a smile creep onto his face remembering the adventures they had shared. Now it seemed like he was watching memories of a totally different person.

"One night all four of us got called in because some serious shit was going down. They wanted us to take four teams in by chopper, under darkness, and then get the hell out of there. So we loaded up the payload…and we were off."

Murdock looked up at Hannibal; the older man softly smiled back encouragingly, the captain swallowed hard and ploughed back in. "I was first down. The team cleared out and as I started to climb bullets started to fly. They smashed out my goddamn windshield. The kids on the ground were dropping like flies. Some kinda rocket came at me from the field; I evaded it but Tommy... er, the other chopper, didn't." his voice cracked.

The captains' eyes were intently staring at the air in front of him. He found the courage to keep going. "More shots hit my chopper. I was going down, but I pointed that bird at the spot where I saw that rocket fly from and I unloaded everything she had as I slammed into the ground...hard." Anger flashed through his eyes and Hannibal braced for a repeat of the earlier break down. But Murdock seemed to have a better hold on things this time around.

"I was up and running out of the chopper before I knew it. I think I went out through the busted windshield, I don't really remember that part. I got low in the tall grass and then the sky exploded and the other two choppers - if you could still call them that - they fell right on top of mine and her leaking fuel shot a pretty impressive fire ball into the sky."

Murdock's body was starting to tremor as the silence hung thick in the air. B.A.'s deep voice ventured, "What did ya do, man?"

Almost forgetting they were there for a moment Murdock snapped back from his thoughts and he exhaled. "I ran. And it hurt like hell but I didn't care. I was afraid they were after me but no one followed. I don't think they knew I was already out of the bird." He stopped to wonder about that for a moment.

"I found a group of bushes and I crawled under it. I was scared out of my skull, shakin' and cryin'. The worst was the silence. It was mind-numbing. No distractions, just replaying everything through my head until some guys found me and threw me into a jeep. Those creeps beat me… bad. But I didn't care, I just wanted to die. I didn't understand why I had lived even though I didn't want to. Then the 'back-up' from the Army found me and got me the hell out of there. What was left." Murdock's voice wasn't more than a whisper. His wavering voice proclaimed "And that was the night that Captain James Murdock really did become Howling Mad." Murdock paused, took a shaky breath, and breathed "I just figured it was time you guys knew..._why_."

He leaned back in the leather chair, pulled his knees back up to his chest and continued to softly shake. His team just looked at each other, taken aback. Even Hannibal, who knew the Army's perspective of the events that night seemed shocked by the pilot's first hand account.

Seeing the inner turmoil in Murdock's eyes, Face mustered up a voice. "You had a flash back last night, didn't you? I mean, that's why you've been so...quiet." Murdock slowly shook his head, to Face's surprise.

Murdock's green eyes locked on Face's eyes with all the anger, fear and hurt that they were full of. He struggled to verbalize the horror that had been nagging at him since the explosion at the warehouse. "I was afraid you guys got blown up, just like Tommy, Jake and Bryce." Murdock confessed, still struggling to voice his thoughts "and I don't know if I could have survived being the last man standing... _again_. I nearly lost my mind last time. You guys aren't only my friends... you're my family." With that tears ran from his eyes.

Hannibal rolled an unlit cigar between his fingers, now seriously regretting using the word 'charbroiled' to describe the hypothetical pieces of the pilot the night before. Face was just lost in his own thoughts; it was unnatural for him to be quiet for this long.

The quiet was even too much for B.A., who normally reveled in the silence and moments that Murdock was speechless. But now that he found himself understanding why the pilot craved noise, he didn't have the heart to prolong this uncomfortable quiet any longer.

"Look, fool. From now on the only fireballs around here are caused by you or your barbecue, crazy man." B.A. ribbed hoping that his nicknames for Murdock wouldn't hit a bad nerve and would be well received.

Murdock softly grinned, a light now present in his previously dark eyes. He understood what his 'brother' was trying to do and was thankful that B.A. wasn't handling him with kid gloves due to his newly discovered history. "Thanks, Big Guy. Maybe I'll go make some toast points to have with coconut curry tapenade for dinner."

Murdock had started for the door when B.A. refused. The shock spun the captain around fast, and his jaw dropped, unsure if he was imaging things. Voicing his concern B.A. stated "You need to go get some sleep, man. You've been up all night. Either I'll risk going back into your upside-down kitchen or we'll pick up some pizzas. But go to bed before I knock you out!" he finished, rubbing his fist for dramatics.

Smiling, feeling better and being unable to resist playing the clown Murdock spat, "You'll have to catch me first Bosco!" and then he stuck out his tongue and ran with manic laughter down the hall towards his own room.


	7. What is Normal?

Thank you for the new reviews. I am really happy that you guys seem to be enjoying this. As always, I don't own any content, A-Team related or any other known characters that may be referred to during my story. O/C are mine.

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><p>It was dusk when Murdock woke up with a knot in his back, undoubtedly from sitting twisted and upright for most of the night before. He rolled out of bed and stretched his back. Deciding he was hungry and curious if B.A. decided to cook or had opted for take-out, he wandered out to the kitchen.<p>

When he rounded the corner, his team was just cracking open a pair of pizza boxes. Face was first to speak up "Hey, did you have a good nap?" asked. Murdock answered with a nod and a light-hearted grin. He reached into the fridge for the carton of chocolate milk and then for a glass out of the cupboard.

Putting on his best Italian accent, he asked "So you guys'a decided to go for da ol' pizza pie, 'uh?" Face was barely able answer before he busted into laughter and Hannibal didn't seem far behind.

Murdock looked at them with one eyebrow raised, wondering if he was really the crazy one. B.A. piped up, "What the hell, man? I found a water pitcher full of chocolate chip cookies in the back of the fridge. Why are there cookies in the fridge and in a goddamn water pitcher?"

Murdock looked at B.A. in a nonchalant manner and said in a calm and convincing voice "Well you see, if they're cool when you dunk them in your milk, they don't loose as many crumbs."

B.A. studied Murdock's face for any signs of him trying to pull a fast one, but Murdock's face told no tales and he pulled a nice big slice of all dressed pizza onto his plate. B.A. turned to Face and asked in a bewildered voice "Is that true?" Face just shrugged, leaning on his hand while covering his smile.

Murdock sat down on the chair next to Face at the counter and began eating his pizza crust first. B.A. just shook his head and leered, "I'm convinced that you do this stuff just to drive me crazy, fool." he grumbled.

"No Bosco, I do it because I don't like crumbs in my milk. And eating the crust first leaves the best for last." the captain argued through the pizza in his mouth.

"Then why don't ya just put the damn cookie jar in the fridge?" B.A. demanded.

Murdock took a chug of his chocolate milk. Then, looking at the big man he blinked and flatly replied "Well, that's where I keep the flour." The remark caused Hannibal to nearly inhale his pizza and to start coughing to cover his laughter.

"Why do I bother?" B.A. muttered as he leaned against the counter. He decided not to upgrade to the 'why the hell is the flour not in the flour canister' argument and started into his pizza.

"Why does that bother you so much? I mean, if everything was the same all the time life would be very borin'." Murdock rattled on as he stalked the pizza box for a second helping. He rolled this slice up into a tube and began to eat it like one would a burrito.

"Shut up fool! That's just how it's suppose' to be. That's why they write 'Cookies' on the damn jar!" B.A. snapped. He wasn't really mad, just pressing his point.

"So you would rather conform to the societal norm and oppress the noble cookie to it's ceramic prison, and then be forced to drink milk with crumbs in it?" Murdock very seriously questioned the sergeant while his eyes danced with enjoyment.

"There's somethin' wrong with you, man." B.A. stated as he returned his pizza.

After Hannibal and Face had composed themselves after watching the first round from the sidelines, the colonel took advantage of the break in the 'Great Cookie Jar Debate' to focus their attention on something more useful.

"Back to business, guys. We were hired and burned by a man named Jonathan Bleecher, a wealthy business man, who _had_, by all accounts, been a victim of a kidnapping." Hannibal started, the others listened intently. The older man continued, "The other four men were his associates; Frank Caplin, Glen Harris, Steve Thomas and Zachary Mason."

Hannibal paused to help himself to another slice. He returned to his seat picking back up "These guys are business men, the only reason we left was because untrained people who are not used to pressure are dangerous with guns in hand."

Face laughed and interjected, "I'm not a big fan of the trained ones who are used to pressure either, Boss."

Hannibal nodded in agreement adding, "The real problem is that they get a mob mentally going and they become hard to manage. What we need to do is deal with them separately. Then, when we're ready, a few well-planned moves and they'll be exactly where we want them." With a smile he set the completed Rubik's cube on top of an empty pizza box.

All three looked at the cube for a moment and then Face spoke up "Boss, I don't get it. I mean, shouldn't we just get them in one place and take 'em down?"

Then B.A spoke up "No man, I get it. They're unpredictable together, but this way _we_ got the edge. 'Cause they start dropping one by one, and then the last guy'll be scared of his own shadow by the time we get to him."

"Exactly." Hannibal smiled as he chewed on his unlit cigar.

Murdock was still looking at the cube. He seemed unsure when Hannibal asked "Is something wrong, Captain?"

The pilot looked up at him and cocked his head to the right. "How're we going to get 'em alone and off-guard, Boss-Man?"

Hannibal smiled at the younger man before explaining, "You hit the nail on the head earlier, kid. People _will_ do the same things and develop routines, and conform to 'societal norms'. Well, most people anyways."

Murdock shrugged knowing that was a little jab at him, but he took it in stride as Hannibal went on, "So we shake them up, and move them right where we want them. That way, they won't notice when we're about to drop on them."

"So, our whole plan is based on the fact that Murdock keeps chocolate chip cookies in the fridge?" Face shook his head and muttered "I'm worried..._again._" Then he looked to B.A. for back up, but the look on the big man's face revealed that the wheels were turning.

Baracus stood up "I'm in! But I ain't flyin' with you, man. Once is already too much." he grabbed another slice of pizza and returned to his place at the counter.

Murdock's jaw slacked and he raised his hands up in an exaggerated gesture "What'd I do wrong! I was on my best behavior; no barrel rolls or flips and not a single stall-out either." trying his best to look offended.

Murdock left the kitchen declaring he was done with dinner and would be right back. Meanwhile the others were just finishing up their pizza and Hannibal had started loading the plates into the dishwasher. A low rumble came towards them from down the hallway. All at once, the three wondered what their pilot was up to…_ this time._ Then suddenly Hannibal's desk chair came rolling in fast with Murdock spinning into view, perched on the seat and smiling from ear to ear. The chair came to a stop and he jumped off.

"C'mon Facey! I'll give ya a ride down to the command room!" Face stood up and limped to the chair. He turned to Hannibal and smiled.

"Why didn't I think of this, instead of limping all the way out here from my room?"

Murdock just laughed "See! It's those pesky 'societal norms'. Buckle up, Faceman, 'cause she's gonna go fast!" and with that he rolled his friend down the hall. Face laughed as Murdock ran commentary on his imaginary race.

Murdock had just got Face pulled up to the table when B.A. and Hannibal followed them into their command room. This room was where the guys made their plans for missions. The walls had both dry erase and cork boards. There were a couple of computers and a printer on another table. There was a desk at the rear of the room that was Hannibal's, where the chair that Face was sitting in normally resided.

Hannibal took his normal position at the table and began to shed light on his plan. "Okay men. For the plan to work, I am going to need somewhere to keep these guys as we 'collect them'. I want it wired so we can hear what happens inside. Murdock, that's your job."

Murdock nodded that he understood and asked "How comfortable do you want it for them, Boss-Man?"

Hannibal smiled. "Not very, Captain - somewhere to sleep, and a toilet. I guess some way to pass food in would be good but they should only be in there for forty-eight hours, max."

Hannibal turned to B.A. "Sergeant, we are going to need some different vehicles for this to work. I am going to need a car and it needs to be made up to look like a local police cruiser." Baracus nodded, looking like he already had an idea where to find such a car.

Hannibal grinned, happy to see the confidence from the Big Man. He continued "I'm not done yet B.A. We will also need a tow truck. Oh, and a utility van that we can quickly re-decal on the fly to look like it belongs to different businesses. Can you handle that too?" Hannibal waited for confirmation.

"Yeah Hannibal, I got it. I know where I can get 'em. How long till we move out? It'll take a bit to get the cruiser ready."

"We move at 08:00, in three days, so you have forty-eight hours." Baracus smiled still radiating confidence, "No problem, Hannibal."

Hannibal turned to Face and smiled. "Your primary mission Lieutenant, is to get feeling better. We can't afford to bench you. So I'll get you some crutches tomorrow and then you can work on getting the few things we are going to need. We are going to need a place to stay and some disguises. I can help you with that." Face smiled to himself, happy that he was still in the game.

"As I said, we move out in three days. Get rested up tonight boys, because tomorrow will be a busy day." with that Hannibal dismissed the men to finish out their R&R.


	8. Collecting The Pieces

I don't own any content, A-Team related or any other known characters that may be referred to during my story. O/C are mine.

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><p>The two days of work had blown by fast as all the men scrambled to put the pieces in play. B.A. had put together a very impressive police cruiser complete with lights and a working siren. He had no intention to tell Murdock about that until necessary, he didn't think the crazy man would be able to resist trying it out. B.A. had also obtained the other vehicles that they were going to need for the plan. However, Baracus wasn't the only one with car-jacking skills that were put into play.<p>

Murdock had acquired a shipping container, along with a transport truck to haul it with, and brought them back and hid them in the vehicle bay. There he planned to make his modifications. As discussed the Captain had added sleeping mats, a flushable toilet, surveillance, lighting, and a pass door and that could only be opened from the outside.

It was while making these changes that some improvements occurred to the pilot. Hannibal hadn't been so sure of approving his suggestion to keep the transport at first. But after he explained to his C.O. that keeping the container mobile would allow them to move their prisoners easily, they agreed that would be a definite benefit. The Colonel was surprised he hadn't thought to make it a requirement in the plan from the start.

The container had been reinforced so a group of prisoners would not be able to work together to muscle their way out. However the other addition made the Colonel laugh so hard that he thought he may never be able to breathe again. Murdock had enough time to paint the interior light pink and blue. Then he added white daises, colorful rainbows and mocking smiley faces to give the place what he had simply described as a little "Howlin' Mad Pizzazz."

It was nearly 09:00, everyone was in his position and they were having a last minute walk through of the plan. Face sounded nervous and unsure asking Hannibal "Are you sure he'll be ok Boss?" but before the colonel could reply Murdock chimed in over the radio "Oh Faceman, you worry too much. I've got some padding on and I'll just tuck an' roll. It's not like I've never taken a spill before."

Hannibal spoke up before Face could argue "There's our mark, move out Lieutenant."

o o o o o

Frank Caplin was rushing to get to work, already running late for the morning meeting. All thanks to a heated argument with his wife. She was a life-sucking bitch and he was seriously thinking about throwing her to the curb. He had hoped to use the reward money from catching the infamous A-Team to start an off-shore bank account. This would give him a nest egg that she wouldn't know about for when she took him to the cleaners.

He didn't think the A-Team were all that tough; they had bailed out a window and ran. The story he and the other guys feed to the cops removed all suspicions about the explosion. The police figured they were trying to steal the money from the safe in the office. When he and his fellow workers had thwarted the criminals, they blew up the tank to make a distraction for their escape.

He was in a bit of a daze thinking about how their failure had really put a monkey wrench in his plan for getting his wife out of his house, when some douche bag with sunglasses cut him off in a silver Corvette.

Caplin laid on the horn but the driver just gave him a glance in the rear view mirror and flipped him the finger.

"Well, asshole I'll show you!" Caplin threatened out loud, as he put his foot down on the accelerator of his BMW.

Just as he did a police car turned out behind him causing him to slow and kept his anger confined to a list of expletives that only he could hear. The stoplight before him turned orange. The Corvette started to brake and Caplin was forced to followed suit. Then the Corvette driver suddenly had a change of heart and gunned it through the intersection from a near stand-still.

Caplin, forgetting there was a police car behind him, and being late, he really wanted this light. With that he lunged, intending to cross the intersection before the red light. As the car entered the crosswalk, the BMW collided with a pedestrian crossing the street. The lights on the cruiser immediately turned on, followed by the two officers getting out of the car and approaching the accident.

Caplin leaned forward resting his forehead on his stirring wheel "Great! Just what I need today." He eased his car over to the curb.

But before the cops could reach the front of the car, the pedestrian - a man in a red ball cap - was up and screaming at the top of his lungs "You asshole! What the hell do you think you're doin'! You hit me with your goddamn car! I'll sue you asshole!"

It was right then that the officer tapped on the window "Sir. Get out of the car."

Caplin didn't even look up. He just followed the directions given to him by the officer knowing he was in shit. The officer cuffed him as soon as he got out of the car without saying a word.

Caplin barked "Aren't you going to read me my rights!" about to start trying to arguing his case when the officer spit angrily "You have the right to shut the hell up, fool! I suggest you use it, or I'll shut you up!"

Caplin snapped his head up recognizing the cop with the silver hair and the large black officer leading him back to the cruiser. Once inside the back of the police car Frank Caplin looked out the left window and watched the pedestrian he had just hit run across the rest of the street and get into a silver Corvette. The driver was wearing sunglass. Caplin realized it was the same driver who had cut him off. As the cruiser pulled away, both men in the Corvette smiled and gave Caplin the finger as the police car drove away.

o o o o o

Glen Harris had the day off. He got out of bed and went downstairs to start a pot of coffee. After pouring himself a cup he settled down on the couch to watch the morning news. He turned on the TV, hoping to find out that the cops caught the goddamn A-Team. He wasn't very comfortable with them being at large since he was pretty sure they would be pissed at him and his associates.

Instead of the news being on the TV, all he saw was white noise. Cursing to himself he picked up his phone and made a service call to the cable company. He walked back up to his room and changed out of his bath robe and into some clothes instead, since he was now expecting a visitor. He returned to the living room and just as he was about to sit back on the couch, the doorbell rang. A tall man with gray hair, salt-and-pepper beard and glasses was standing at the door with a tool box in hand.

"Wow! That was fast." Harris exclaimed.

The man smiled and replied, "I was just around the corner finishing up a call when dispatch told me you were having an issue."

Harris glanced at the white van in his driveway with the logo of his cable provider on the side. Harris invited the man into his house to fix his television. The two men shared a little small talk about weather and local sports and after just a few moments the cable signal snapped back on the TV screen. The repairman stood up and said "I just need a signature." as he handed Harris a clipboard.

Glen Harris looked for the line to sign when he felt the uneasiness rise over him. The clipboard read "YOU SHOULD REALLY THINK TWICE BEFORE DOUBLE-CROSSING THE A-TEAM" Harris was shaking as he looked back at the repairman and was about to speak when his eyes rolled up in his head and he fainted, falling forward onto the floor.

Hannibal pulled a cigar out of his tool-belt and he smiled at B.A., who had let himself into the house while Hannibal had distracted Harris.

"Hannibal I didn't get ta hit him. I was lookin' forward to that part."

The colonel sighed and laughed, "Well you know sometimes things don't always go as planned B.A." and with that the two men moved Harris out to the van and drove away.

o o o o o

Steve Thomas was a fitness junky. Everyday he spent at least an hour after work at the gym. If he wasn't at the gym he was playing sports. He was still thinking about the events of his day as he ran on the treadmill. He was pissed that Frank hadn't shown up to their morning meeting without even a phone call to let him know that there was a problem. When he hadn't come in by lunch Thomas called Glen, to see if he knew where the other man might be. It was a long shot since it was his day off but Glen had never answered his phone or returned any of the messages he had for left him.

He had started to worry that something was wrong but when Zachary Mason had entered his office Thomas chalked it up as Caplin being his usual self-centered bastard self and that Harris just decided he didn't want to answer the phone on his day off. Thomas couldn't really blame Harris for that. When he couldn't reschedule the meeting, he blew off work to spend some extra time at the gym. After a good run on the treadmill he went into the locker room to shower and get cleaned up.

Once in the locker room Thomas found all the showers were all running but no one was around. There was steam everywhere and he couldn't see anything. Something was wrong with this picture and Thomas felt he should not go in there. He turned back to his locker deciding that he would just get his stuff and go home to shower at his apartment.

It had seemed like a great plan until he got to his car and saw that he had a flat tire on the front passenger side. After throwing his gym bag into the back seat of his Escalade he went around to the back. He pulled out the spare but realized as soon as he set it on the ground that it too, was flat.

Thomas resisted the urge to scream inappropriate words across the parking lot. He pulled out his cell phone and called the auto club for assistance and waited inside his car. After a very short wait a tow truck pulled up and a young man got out; he was wearing a bandanna and sunglasses. He walked with a slight limp, but it didn't seem to slow him down. He greeted Thomas with a big smile and asked, "How are you doing this afternoon?"

Thomas laughed and shook his head "I could be better. I noticed the damn flat tire and when I got the spare out I found out that it needs air too."

The tow truck driver smiled, jesting "Isn't that always the way it always seems to go. When it rains it pours. Take my luck for example. I got hit in the head this week and got two black eyes." The driver lowered his shades so his client could see the proof.

Thomas shook his head sympathetically "Bet that hurt."

The tow truck driver slowly shook his head "Naw, what really hurt was when some asshole shot me in the leg after I climbed out of a window."

Thomas' eyes widened but before he could do anything the young man punched him so hard in the side of the head that his face bounced off the car and he fell to the ground. The driver picked the man up and tossed him into the back of the tow truck and drove away unseen.

o o o o o

Zachary Mason had stayed late at work. He was still dealing with the police about the A-Team's break-and-enter, and all of the hassles that went along with it. Since Jonathan had left early to pick up his new motorcycle Mason got stuck dealing with the police, again. Too bad Jon's plan had fallen through - now it was nothing but a major headache.

He left work around 7:30 pm and after driving through town he arrived at his house and parked the car in the driveway. He got out of the car with his leather brief case. He unlocked the front door and walked inside, tossing his brief case in it's usual corner.

Reaching out he flicked the switch to turn on the light but nothing happened. Mason thought that was odd but looking around in the darkness he saw that the lights on his stereo and the stove were out too. He looked back outside and noticed that the neighborhood was all lit up like normal. He walked over to the kitchen drawer, grabbed a small flash light and proceeded through the door to the basement, assuming he had simply blown a fuse.

He watched his step on the stairs and made his way over to the corner where the panel was. Mason had to move a few boxes on the way but he finally arrived. Once at the panel he began to questioning aloud "Why the hell didn't I label this better?"

Since he was alone he had not expected an answer, but a voice with a southern drawl answered "You want the one third from the bottom on the right hand side."

Mason spun around fast, searching with his light. He was breathing fast and the rhythm of his heart pounded in his ears he walked forward, his back to the breakers, knowing someone was out there. At that moment the lights snapped back on. The same voice came from behind him "Aren't you a little old to be scared of the dark?"

Mason ran from his basement taking the stairs two at a time. He came through the door and was rounding the corner when a fist connected with his face, sending him falling to the floor with a thud. After Zachary Mason hit the floor the only sound in the house was H.M. Murdock whistling away to himself as he came up the stairs.

He rounded the same corner Mason had, just moments before to see B.A. standing over the unconscious man on the floor with a big smile on his face. Murdock leaned on the door frame, hands jammed into the pockets of his bomber jacket and from under his red ball cap he smiled.

"Bosco, ya happy that you finally go to hit one of 'em?" Murdock teased.

B.A.'s only answer was his smile. And with that he picked up Mason and headed for the van as Murdock swooped up the briefcase, turned off the lights and locked the door behind them.


	9. Special Delivery

I don't own any content, A-Team related or any other known characters that may be referred to during my story. O/C are mine.

* * *

><p>A van pulled into the drive of a small farm off of the main road. The farm had been foreclosed but Face had obtained a generator and had managed to get the essentials in the house working. There was lots of room in the house for the guys and the surveillance equipment that they were using to monitor the occupants of the container.<p>

There were two advantages to this location. The first was its proximity to Bleecher's warehouse. The other was at the farm they could hide the truck and its container inside the barn. And since the nearest neighbours were almost a mile away the team didn't have to worry about making any noise.

The van drove around to the back of the barn before coming to a full stop. B.A. got out, walked around to the back doors and pulled Zachary Mason out. Mason had regained consciousness, but not before Murdock had wrapped his hands and feet in duct tape and put a strip over his mouth. All B.A. and Murdock had listened to for the last few miles had been his muffled screams. It was getting to the point that even Murdock was asking the guy to stop.

B.A. put Mason down on a chair in the middle of the barn. There were some piles of hay and a truck with what looked like a storage container on the back, and that was the only contents of the barn. After making sure Mason was secured B.A. took a radio out of his pocket to report to Hannibal.

"Hannibal, we got Mason out in the barn." B.A. informed the colonel.

"Good work guys. Any problems?" Hannibal asked.

"No problems Boss-Man, but we brought you a present." Murdock chirped over B.A.'s shoulder into the radio before he could reply himself.

Hannibal walked into the barn a few minutes later and Murdock presented him with Mason's briefcase. Hannibal opened the case, rooted around for a moment and then smiled around his cigar "Good work boys. This may just be better then Christmas."

"Well, well, Mason. According to the contents of your briefcase you and your buddies have a glorious _ponzi scheme __going__.__ You guys are telling your _investors to expect 15% growth and implying government backing." Hannibal paused, taking a drag off of his cigar, "You see Mason, we never would have known about this if you hadn't tried to set us up. But when you double crossed me and my men, I decided I would make it my personal goal to bring you and your pond scum friends to some kind of justice – this will do just fine."

Hannibal walked over to the chair that Mason had been put on and with his cigar clenched in his teeth "Gandhi said _'__Earth provides enough to satisfy every man's need, but not every man's greed__.'_ Since you and your guys tried to get the reward money for our apprehension, I am going to see to it that you hang for this little game. Put him in the think tank with his boys, B.A."

Hannibal and Murdock headed for the house. When they came into the kitchen Face looked up from the surveillance monitor he had been watching on the direct feed and smiled, "The natives are getting restless."

o o o o o o

Steve Thomas had just finished un-taping Zachary Mason when he demanded "Zach, what the hell is going on here?"

"How the hell should I know?" Mason defended himself.

"I knew Jon's plan to mess with the A-team was not a smart one. It all went to hell and now they are pissed at us. They got us here and who knows what the hell they are going to do to us." Glen Harris whined.

"Ah shut up Glen! If they are going to kill us the last thing I want to listen to is you having a panic attack." Frank Caplin yelled.

"It getting worse. Smith knows about the scheme." Mason confessed as all the other men paled.

"How the hell did he find that out?" demanded Caplin.

"I had the records in my briefcase. In case you haven't noticed Frank we've had cops crawling all over the office the last few days. I figured they were safest with me…well that was until they grabbed me at my house."

o o o o o

"So what's the plan from here Hannibal?" Face inquired as the team ate their Captain Belly Buster's burgers at the card table in the kitchen.

"Well, tomorrow we send a message to Jonathan Bleecher, letting him know where all of his associates are."

"So how are you planning to send him the message Colonel?" B.A. asked.

"By courier." Hannibal said with a smile.

* * *

><p>"Are you sure this is a good idea, I mean maybe I should go." Face argued as he eyed Murdock in the back of the van putting on the courier uniform that Hannibal had given him.<p>

"It will be fine, Face. Besides you're sporting raccoon eyes, and B.A. and I don't fit the uniform and no one in the office has ever seen Murdock. It's perfect. You ready Captain?" Hannibal called out.

Murdock came out of the back and with a mock salute he snapped "Ready for duty, sir!"

"At ease, Captain. Besides the parcel service is not as formal as the Ranger Corps, okay? It's a different kind of service." Hannibal joked. "Deliver this to Jonathan Bleecher himself, no one else understood?" Murdock replied with a nod as Hannibal continued "If you have any issues the envelope has a bug in it, so we'll know if you need back up."

"Got it." And with envelope in-hand, Murdock bounded out of the van and up the stairs towards the warehouse that Bleecher's office was located in.

Murdock entered the front doors and was immediately greeted by the receptionist. She was a little younger then himself with sandy blond hair just dusting her shoulders. Not too much makeup, just enough to make her light blue eyes pop and soft pink lips shine. "How are you today?" she looked at him with a smile.

Murdock smiled back. "I'm doin' just fine darlin'. I'm lookin' for a Mr…" fidgeted with the package in his hands and looked at the label and then back to the girl "Bleecher. Is he in?"

The receptionist smiled "He's in his office, but I can take that for you." As she reached for the envelope but he pulled it back to his chest.

"Ummm…sorry no can do ma'am. I was given strict orders to deliver this to Mr. Bleecher and only him. That's my duty – I took an oath and everything, I mean to be in the parcel service. Can I see him, please?"

The girl looked frustrated and not nearly as cheery as she had when he came in. She pushed a button on her phone and waited as a voice growled, "What do you want Cindy?"

She bit her lip and replied, "There is a delivery man here who has a package that he must give directly to you." As a reply, the office door quickly swung open and a man with short dark hair and dark angry eyes stood there looking around. The man stomped towards the desk, and just glared at Murdock before turning his attention to Cindy.

"Can't you handle anything on your own? What the hell do I pay you for?" Bleecher snapped at the girl.

Now if there was one thing that Murdock could not stand it was men who disrespect women, and Bleecher had already crossed the line with the way he was speaking to this girl, but Murdock was biting his tongue.

"Do you think you could put your pretty little head to use for something and manage to hold my calls for the rest of the day?" That show of disrespect was the last straw, however.

"Hey muchacho, I think you had better be polite to the chica." Murdock said flatly.

Bleecher turned his attention to the delivery man "I don't think they are paying you to think. Now give me my damn package." and with that he snapped the envelope out of Murdock's hand.

Murdock just looked at the man and shook his head "You know the two signs of a real man is how he treats a woman and his mother. If you talk to _her_ like this I wouldn't want to see how you talk to your Momma." Bleecher glared at Murdock and turned and marched off into his office, slamming the door behind him.

Murdock stared intently at the door before turning back with friendlier eyes for Cindy "Ya know Señorita, if I were you, I would tell this jerk where to shove it and walk out of here with your head held high. He can't possibly be paying you enough to put up with the likes of him." And he turned and walked out the door.

Murdock was just starting down the stairs back to the van when he heard Cindy call after him "Hey wait!"

Murdock stopped in his tracks and turned on the stairs as she ran over to him. This unexpected hitch in Hannibal's plan was making Face fidgety in the back of the van. B.A. turned to look at him "Settle down man! You're jumpin' around back there like the fool does. Just wait."

Face was wondering why the girl had stopped Murdock. He didn't think this could be good. The girl went back into the warehouse and Murdock turned and ran down the stairs throwing open the door and jumped into the back as B.A. drove off.

"What did she want?" Face grilled the captain as soon as he sat down.

Murdock smiled "She wanted to thank me for defending her against her slimy boss and…" he pulled a piece of paper out of his shirt pocket and blushed a little, "she gave me her number!"

B.A. laughed "Look out Face, the fool's moving in on your turf."

o o o o o

Bleecher flopped down into his black leather chair and tossed the envelope onto the mahogany desk. He laced his fingers behind his head and stretched back looking up at the ceiling. None of his associates came into work and the phone had done nothing but ring all morning. What a bunch of lazy asses. Did they think that he was going to pull them through and make sure they get their payout?

He leaned forward, picked up the envelope, tore the top off and pulled out a single sheet of paper with large black type that read:

_Roses are red._

_Violets are blue._

_We've got all your goons_

_and now we are coming for you!_

"Shit!" Bleecher cursed out loud in his empty office. He stood up and moved swiftly to the door and from his office doorway he screamed "CINDY!" nostrils flaring and his face red with anger but Cindy wasn't there. In her place was his second note of the day taped to her chair and this one read "I quit. Have a nice day, Asshole."


	10. The Little Details

I don't own any content, A-Team related or any other known characters that may be referred to during my story. O/C are mine.

* * *

><p>The team had just finished their meeting about the last phase of their mission and Hannibal had dismissed them all. He turned to go over some papers on the counter in their makeshift planning room at the farm. When he turned back to the table he was surprised to see Murdock sitting there, rolling the Matchbox car that had stood in for the truck caring their mobile holding cell, back and forth with his index finger.<p>

"Is something wrong Captain?" Hannibal asked as he sat down in the chair next to Murdock. The younger man continued to roll the car, but Hannibal could see that Murdock was chewing at his lip and starring intently at the three green army men that represented the rest of the team on the roof of the building.

Hannibal, not wanting to startle the captain, cleared his throat and that gained him Murdock's attention. "Did you want to go over something, son?" the colonel offered.

"Just thinkin'." Murdock voiced quietly.

"About?" Hannibal cautiously probed.

There was a pause and then the pilot's quiet voice, just barely more then a whisper asked "Permission to speak freely, sir?"

Hannibal tipped his head with a look of concern taking over his face. The boys had stopped being that formal with him along time ago, even before they had become fugitives. He had to wonder why Murdock was reverting to it now but he was going to follow it through and see where it took them. "Of course, go ahead."

"I am a Ranger. Just like all of you guys. Don't ya think I could be more useful than just sitting in the truck and babysittin' a bunch of wannabe thugs and driving the truck into the warehouse on your cue? I mean I can help, why am I just sittin' in the truck?" the pilot voiced quietly to his C.O. and he continued to rock the toy car.

Hannibal gave Murdock a pat on the shoulder trying to break his focus on the toy "Of course you can do more. I know that, but you need to trust me like I trust you boys. It's not that I am benching you, but rather I am keeping you on deck in case I need you to come to bat. You see Captain, my plans do... sometimes... on rare occasions, go a little… off-kilter." Murdock shot him a mocking look of disbelief as Hannibal continued "and it's good to know I have someone out there; the proverbial ace up my sleeve."

Hannibal now had Murdock's full attention. "I mean Face's plans are good...most of the time, but he tends to overlook the little details. And that gets him into trouble when it snowballs. And B.A., well he would love nothing more then to smash his way through the problem. But you, you share my love for the over-the-top theatrics." The older man said with a smile "Your plans, though unconventional, usually turn out just fine in the end... well except that time that you tarred and feathered that drug runner from Long Beach and got Face covered in that slop too."

Hannibal paused smiling as he remembered the look on the Lieutenant's face when the cascade of feathers came fluttering down on top of him. "That was more than a bit of a mess… logistically, I mean.

"B.A. wasn't going to let him into the van, and I can't really say that I blamed him – it was a damn good thing we had a tarp that he could sit on. And you lucked out big time because I was sure that we were going to have to shave his head to get the tar out." Hannibal paused "How did you know that citrus oil mixture would get that mess out of his hair?"

"I didn't. It was the olive oil and lime I use as a marinade to make that citrus pork you like - I just happened to have it in the fridge ready for dinner, thought I'd try it. Figured it couldn't hurt and it worked." Murdock said with a shrug.

"Good thing! He's still trying to expense me for the jacket he was wearing. Whoever pays that much for a sports coat is nuts!" Hannibal exclaimed, clearly in disbelief of Face's wardrobe costs.

Murdock laughed shaking his head "No, wearing it to a sting was nuts. Paying that much was just stupidity. And B.A. calls _me_ a fool." the young man laughed.

"True, but you know you are just as needed around here as the rest of us." Hannibal gave the man another fatherly pat on the shoulder. "Now go get some sleep, we move out soon and I want everyone rested up and ready to go." with that Murdock stood up and walked towards the door but stopped just short, turning back to meet eyes with Hannibal.

"Umm… Colonel. Thanks for…well… _everything._" and with a smile Murdock turned and walked out of the room, leaving Hannibal alone with his own thoughts.


	11. Open Mic

I don't own any content, A-Team related or any other known characters that may be referred to during my story. O/C are mine.

* * *

><p>Jonathan Bleecher had all day to consider his options and he decided that he wasn't going to let Smith get the drop on him. Not in his own warehouse. He had gathered a small arsenal of guns and bullets. He was planning to do away with the A-Team and his warehouse all in one night. Screw the reward money for turning in the infamous A-Team. This was more about pride at this point in the game.<p>

After he took them down he was going to burn the warehouse to the ground and disappear with the money from the investment scheme. The cash was in the office safe, and he would use it to start a new life for himself. It wouldn't matter if those idiots he was doing business with ratted him out, he would be long gone. Sitting on a beach, he'd be enjoying the good life before any cops ever came looking for him.

He knew that the warehouse is where Smith and his men would come to find him, and he was going to use that to his advantage. He left his new Honda Goldwing Motorcycle out front to prove that he was there. Using his knowledge of his warehouse, he had moved crates to block most of the entrances and to create an area of coverage for him self. He knew this gave him the upper hand in the situation and control of the playing field. "Boy, it was real nice of Smith to announce that he was coming." Bleecher thought out loud.

o o o o o

Hannibal, Face and B.A. were standing on the roof of Bleecher Imports and watching the man below them waiting in his little fort that he had built out of crates. "Say what you want about him boss, but he is one determined son-of-a-bitch!" B.A. commented.

"I know the plan is to drop in on him, but with that configuration of crates how is Murdock going to drive into the warehouse if we need his distraction and not get shot up Hannibal?" Face asked.

Hannibal paused to think and then he picked up his radio and called out for Murdock.

"Howzit shakin' Boss-Man?" a voice crackled back.

"Murdock, Bleecher has rearranged his crates for cover. Your entrance is a wide-open target, and the other entrances discussed are blocked. I need you to come up with another distraction technique A.S.A.P., over."

There was a pause, but then the radio crackled again "Alrighty. I'll see what I can do. Just call if you need me and I'll swoop right in, Boss. Murdock out."

"Do ya think that's a good idea, Hannibal? Last time he had to improvise, he knocked down that damn water tower in Kansas." B.A. stated.

"We escaped before the MPs showed up - I'd call that successful. And besides it was only a fifty thousand gallon tower in a little town." Hannibal countered.

"How about the time he 'borrowed' the fire truck and sprayed the entire field with fire foam?" Face jested.

"Did those guys chasing us catch us? No, they all slipped and slid across that field and we made it to the van safe and sound." Hannibal defended the captain "Murdock is solid. He may be unorthodox but he gets the job done. He sees things differently then most, and I don't believe he's all crazy. I think he's a guy who's been given up on by a bunch of people in his life. Not all that different then the two of you in your own different pasts. But the difference is that he gave up on himself too, and is rebuilding his own trust in himself. Well he's got my trust. What about you two?"

Face looked at B.A. and back at Hannibal "I trust him. He's saved my ass too many times to count. After the other night, he stayed with me the whole time. How could I not trust him when I know he's got my back."

B.A. ran his hand over his mohawk and sighed "I trust the fool. You're right, Hannibal. He may be off the wall, but he always comes through when we need him."

Hannibal smiled. "Now that you two are ready, let's go and settle things with Mr. Bleecher."

They could see Bleecher looking around the dimly lit warehouse. It was then that Hannibal tossed a cluster of smoke grenades through the skylight. Bleecher ducked down and covered his head to protect himself from the shards of glass that fell around him, as his bunker started to fill with smoke.

The smoke made Bleecher's eyes sting. He spun around trying to see where the smoke was coming from, when the sound of more breaking glass came from above as Hannibal and his men dropped through the sky light, repelling to the floor of the warehouse. Bleecher collapsed on the ground gagging on the smoke, just as they touched the floor.

B.A. unhooked his descender from the rope and grabbed the cowering Bleecher by the shoulder, pulling him to his feet. Bleecher knew this was his last chance for the upper hand. He pulled his knife and pressed the cold steel tight against B.A.'s ribs.

"Drop your weapons or I'll kill him! I swear, I'll do it!" he shouted as he stood up behind his captured member of the A-Team.

Hannibal looked at Face and with his eyes, ordered him to follow Bleecher's command. They couldn't risk Bleecher stabbing B.A. Both men set down their weapons. As Hannibal set his sidearm on the warehouse floor, unseen by anyone else, he flicked the open mic switch on his radio attached to his belt. He stood up and put his hands on his head as ordered, praying that Murdock had been given enough time to formulate a plan, and that he was ready to go.


	12. Eat Your Heart Out

I don't own any content, A-Team related or any other known characters that may be referred to during my story. O/C are mine.

* * *

><p>Murdock jumped out of the truck and surveyed the area for help on his mission. There was some empty crates and lumber off to the side, and he had the truck, but that wasn't going to help him. There wasn't much else around that he would be able to use. That was until the pilot noticed Bleecher's Goldwing motorcycle sitting in front of the warehouse.<p>

He quickly figured that could move the crates and lumber into a ramp. That would let him in through the window, he just needed the right combo of speed and angle to give him a good lift up. And if there were two things that the pilot prided himself in knowing, it was going fast, and flying. The only foreseeable problem he saw with his plan was the landing. He knew he would be entering the warehouse blind. Not knowing where he could land had him wondering; if he crashed, could he walk away?

Murdock rolled the bike over to the start of his run strip leading to his quickly assembled ramp. He swung his leg over the bike and got settled. He pulled his flashlight out of his pocket so he could locate the pair of coloured wires he would need to start the bike. Just as he put his light away he questioned if he would even need to start the bike, he heard his radio crackle to life. He listened carefully for a moment. It was his cue; it was time to find out about that landing.

o o o o o

"Look Bleecher. Let him go. It's between you and me." Hannibal attempted to negotiate while keeping eye contact with the armed man.

"Oh Smith. You think you're so smart. Never expected me to have a knife tucked in my belt huh?" Bleecher taunted as he pressed harder against B.A.'s ribs causing the big man to grimace at the pressure.

"Naw, he knew you had it. He just figured you were smart enough not to do something this… well… stupid." Face remarked, masking his concern over the turn of events. He wondered where Murdock was, and then he heard a distant rumble. Face glanced over to Hannibal whose anger-filled eyes were still locked on Bleecher.

Face looked back over at Bleecher and he could tell both Bleecher and B.A. knew the source of the noise. A smirk was replacing the uncertainty in B.A.'s eyes.

A flash of anger lit Bleecher's face before he yelled "It's going to take more then someone messing with my bike to save your boy, Smith."

Face listened to the sound of the bike getting louder and he wondered what Murdock was up to. Then he noticed a flash of light outside the warehouse window, nearly twenty-five feet in the air. Face had figured out what was about to happen.

"Incoming!" Face hollered as he dove to the left.

Hannibal followed his lead jumping to his right as the window shattered and the loud motor growled. As Face hit the floor he heard a loud "Woo-hoo-hoooo!" carry over the sound of the rumbling Honda Goldwing and falling glass as he saw Murdock riding her through the air.

As the lights flashed and glass shattered, it distracted Bleecher so that the knife dropped from B.A.'s ribs. Seizing his chance, B.A. turned and grabbed Bleecher's wrist, snapping it quickly causing the man to drop his knife. Baracus pulled himself and his now captive out of the path of the falling motorcycle. The bike hit the ground right where the two men had stood seconds before.

Face was the first onto his feet and he watched the bike flip end to end four times and smash into the crates at the end of the warehouse. A lump rose to his throat as he looked around for his injured friend but there was no sign of Murdock under the bike or on the floor. He knew that the pilot had been on the bike; he had heard and seen him come through the window. But where was he now?

Face felt himself starting to panic. It was right then that a second "Woo-hoo-hoooo!" echoed through the warehouse followed by "Eat you're heart out _Evel Knievel! That was awesome! Facey, did you see that? Did you see that!"_

_Face looked up towards the ceiling and there was Murdock, swinging back and forth on a pully cable. Arms and legs wrapped around the heavy metal cable, with one foot in the large metal hook on the end, giving him extra stability as he swung around excitedly._

"Holy shit Murdock! That was amazing! Are you okay, Buddy?" Face exclaimed in relief.

B.A. stood up dragging Bleecher to his feet. He took in the damage to the motor bike and looked up at Murdock swinging back and forth from the cable. He shook his head trying to hide a smile from spreading over his face. He wasn't sure what relieved him more; that the fool had saved his bacon, or that he hadn't tried to land with the motorcycle that now lay twisted on the floor. A piece of metal with the winged Honda logo had landed where he stood.

B.A. yelled up to the captain "Fool! How the hell didja come up with a stunt like that?"

"I told ya boys. I can fly anything with wings - motorcycles included! Landing this one was a bit of an issue this time but it worked out." He cheered before remembering why he had pulled such a stunt in the first place.

"Oh Bosco – hey are you okay? Not leaking anything or have any new holes in ya, do ya big guy?"

"Nawh, crazy man! I'm okay, but get down from there. You're gonna give me a heart attack!" B.A. barked.

"Oh, Bosco! You do care." Murdock shouted back. He slowed his swinging as he looked around for an exit.

Hannibal who had been quiet during the entire exchange, walked over to the small yellow box that controlled the pulley that Murdock was clinging to, and pushed the button to lower the Captain to the floor. Once he was back on solid ground Hannibal gave him a pat on the back and whispered "Captain, that was an impressive distraction, but how did you plan that landing?"

"Ummmm… actually that was a leap of faith Boss-man. But I'm pretty sure I could have landed the bike if the opportunity to bail out hadn't of presented its self." Murdock confessed the short coming of his plan.

"Well, do me a favour next time. Plan that out ahead, okay? I'm with B.A. - you gave me a little bit of a scare on this one too."

"Okay Boss. Next time – cross my heart" he said as he made the action across his chest.

"Okay Captain, now let's reunite Mr. Bleecher to his _friends_."


	13. A Light In The Dark

I don't own any content, A-Team related or any other known characters that may be referred to during my story. O/C are mine.

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><p>After they threw Bleecher into the container with his co-conspirators, B.A. drove and dumped the transport in front of the police station. He left the briefcase with the evidence of their illegal activities in the front seat. He slipped away to the alley that Hannibal, Face and Murdock were waiting in with his van. They were all ready to head for home.<p>

Once back at the loft they all sat at the kitchen island joking and enjoying a well deserved beer each. Face kept hassling Murdock about when he was going to call Cindy and the captain was trying to ignore him. The hour was growing late and the guys had decided to call it a night.

Murdock however was wired from the adrenaline surge that he'd had at the warehouse. So when everyone else had gone to their rooms, he instead kept himself busy by gathering up the beer bottles and tidying the kitchen as he hummed away to himself. That was likely half the reason why he hadn't noticed that he wasn't alone; the other half was that despite his size, Bosco Baracus could move surprisingly quietly.

Murdock turned from the sink and gasped nearly dropping an empty beer bottle. "Jeepers, B.A., you tryin' to scare me to death?"

"No. I needed to talk with ya… without Face or Hannibal around. Do ya have a few minutes?" The big guy asked as he grabbed a seat on a stool at the island.

"Sure do." Murdock happily replied, even though B.A.'s sudden reappearance had his heart beating faster than normal. "You want a drink of milk?" He asked as he grabbed the pitcher and the cookies from the fridge. After B.A. accepted his offer he grabbed two glasses, pulled up a stool for himself at the counter and poured two glasses of milk.

"First, I want to thank you for savin' my ass tonight. I hafta admit I was in a bit of trouble there."

"No problem big guy. I was in the neighbourhood, so I just thought I'd drop in and say 'hello'." Murdock laughed as he dunked a cookie into his milk.

"That being said, fool, if ya ever do somethin' like that again and survive, I'll kill ya. You really did scare the shit out of me. I heard the bike land… badly and all I could think was…well… you know." B.A. admitted.

"Oh I see. Well I'm sorry that I scared you big guy." Murdock apologized.

"Look man, I know you said before ya don't want to lose any of us after ya lost your other buddies, but none of us wanna lose you either, crazy." B.A. paused afraid he was getting sappy "I mean… I may say I'm goin' to kill you or whatever but sometimes I'll even admit that your craziness does go a long way to ease the tension around here. And since I get why you have a hard time with quiet, I'll try to lay off ya a bit - _if_ you try to dial it down. Cool?" B.A. paused to drink down some milk "But don't tell Hannibal or Face that we had this talk or I'll deny it, man. I mean it."

Murdock smiled "Okay Bosco. Mums the word, I won't tell them." he said with a smile as he drank down the rest of his milk and walked over to rinse his glass in the sink. "Are we good?" Murdock asked while his back was to B.A.

"One more thing man, if you ever wanna talk about your… past, we'll listen. Any of us will. You just gotta ask, okay?" B.A. waited for the man to reply because he wanted to make sure that he was getting through.

Murdock turned back around and smiled "All right, if I need to, I will. Now do you want a hug?" throwing his arms out wide with a goofy grin.

"No fool, I don't want a hug, and don't ya even think about it." B.A. warned.

Murdock laughed. "Well I'm going to bed. G'night Bosco. Would you put the milk _and_ cookies back in the fridge when you're done, please?"

B.A. replied "Yeah fool I will." as he dunked a cookie into his glass. After receiving the reply, Murdock turned and walked towards his room. Baracus sat there alone for a few minutes while he finished his milk.

B.A. stopped and looked intently at the bottom of his glass trying to decide if there really were fewer crumbs in the bottom of his glass.

Murdock closed his bedroom door behind him letting it latch quietly. Slowly and trying to make very little noise he leaned his back against the door, so he would not be heard and lowered himself to the floor. He reached into his pocket and pulled out a small worn flashlight and ran his fingers over the handle to where an inscription read "A little light can make even the darkest of hours seem a little brighter."

He sighed and whispered quietly, "I miss you guys. But I have good friends who are looking out for me. You'd like 'em." he flicked the light to prove to himself that it still worked before shutting it back off. He slid the gift from _his _team back into its place in his pocket, where he always kept it.

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><p>That's all for this one folks! But it's far from over for ol' H.M. Thank you to everyone who read and reviewed. It's great getting feed back, on how I'm doing as I learn what works. I'll be posting more some day soon, so keep an eye out.<p> 


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